Dod Personnel Clearances Preliminary Observations On Dods Progress On Addressing Timeliness And Quality Issues PDF Download

The Department of Defense (DoD) personnel security clearance program has been on GAO's high-risk list since 2005, due to delays in the process and incomplete documentation. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts most of DoD's clearance investigations, which DoD adjudicators use to make clearance decisions. The Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) chairs a Performance Accountability Council that is responsible for reforming the clearance process. Conducted under the authority of the Comptroller General, GAO's report addresses the following: (1) reporting on timeliness for DoD clearances, (2) documentation completeness for making initial top-secret clearance decisions for DoD personnel, and (3) reporting on the quality of the clearance process. To assess these issues, GAO analyzed data on most DoD clearances granted in fiscal year 2008, randomly sampled and analyzed 100 OPM investigative reports and DoD adjudicative files for clearances granted in July 2008, and analyzed 2006-2009 executive branch annual clearance reports. GAO recommends that, in annual reports to Congress, OMB provide Congress with more information on timeliness and quality and that OPM and DoD address documentation completeness issues. OMB and DoD concurred, while OPM did not state whether it concurred with GAO's recommendations.